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Cosmic Variance
« Angelic Grad School Interview
String Theory, With a View Towards Reality »

Are You Influenced?

by cjohnson

From the Guardian, an article by Bobbie Johnson: Um…. apparently bloggers are influential people, so watch out.

We might be influencing you right now. Are you feeling influenced?

A quote from the article:

“Bloggers and blog-readers are ‘influentials’ – the minority that pays attention to events outside of political and news cycles. They also tend on average to be better off, better educated and, more importantly, employed.”

Well, I don’t know about that other stuff, but…. better go do some work now…..for my employer. Among other things, I’ve got two movie scripts to read. No, really…. more later.

-cvj

(Thanks, spyder.)

Share

April 18th, 2006 12:35 PM
in Blogosphere | 20 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

20 Responses to “Are You Influenced?”

  1. 1.   spyder Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 2:08 pm

    Another unexpected thing was Andrew’s family telling me how valuable the blog -yes, Cosmic Variance- was to them during the time immediately after Andrew’s death. … …Thank all of you, since you brought out really the key aspect of the post, and what a blog can do – …

    It is just closing the circle Clifford, you have already demonstrated the power of connecting that good blogging promotes. It was my honor to point out that you, and your compatriots here at Cosmic Variance, represent some of the best in what web logs can provide. Thank you!!!

  2. 2.   Alejandro Rivero Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 2:42 pm

    My point of view is that bloggers are *influenced* people. As journalists do, they feel the need of finding things to publish about, and this syndrome can be used active or passively by Publicisnt, Public Relations experts, or other people involved in information, er, management.

  3. 3.   Elliot Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 2:45 pm

    wouldn’t a better title for this post be “under the influence”?

    e.

  4. 4.   Cynthia Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 2:50 pm

    I know I am an ignoramus to internet computing as well as a neophyte to blogging. However, I did not know I am a socioeconomic minority in the vast blogosphere. More importantly, I did not know I am being unduly influenced by C.V. Bloggers! Thanks for alerting me to this highly disturbing trend in blogging!

  5. 5.   Clifford Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 3:13 pm

    Elliot…depends upon whether or not you are a Hendrix fan.

    -cvj

  6. 6.   Kea Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 4:07 pm

    …AND blog-readers. Wow! I’m chuffed. :)

  7. 7.   Cynthia Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 4:11 pm

    Blogging under the influence of psychedelics?

  8. 8.   Elliot Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 4:32 pm

    Golden rose, the color of the dream I had
    Not too long ago
    A misty blue and the lillac too
    A never to grow old.

    A there you were under the tree of song
    Sleeping so peacefully
    In your hand a flower played
    A waiting there for me.

    (from One Rainy Wish – J Hendrix)

  9. 9.   Plato Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 5:01 pm

    As long as there is a relative freedom on the internet, what value is reporting if it cannot keep people informed? Not held under any one agenda and thumb of some “evil doer” on the internet? :)

    Even those subjects that might “teetor” a good scientist on the brink of, when speaking about subjective valuations, as sound opinion for the public? We know your human too.

    Even in those areas a proper socialogical interpetation might be forth coming, to keep sane people working and moving forward, then “producing hits on conflict issues” respectively. Advertising under such a banner might be less appreciated, while fudging the numbers for producing sales using such tactics.

    Cosmic variance is fine? Their peaceful people?:)

    Plato:

    First let me say, that Indymedia was the first introduction to “real time” reporting aside from TV network medias distributors. If you could bring other perspectives to the realites of our world, then indeed media in terms of pictures, live video shots, could help you present more ideas to the public.

    How much of a effect does this have?

    ON the spot reporting is a powerful media. Besides, Most Bloggers, are not conformists? They “defintiely” want the truth?

  10. 10.   adam Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 7:31 pm

    Bloggers needs be careful that they stay employed, if they wish to speak freely of their thoughts.

  11. 11.   Cynthia Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 12:06 am

    Adam, are you implying that Big Brother is watching while we are under the influence of blogging?

  12. 12.   Pyracantha Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 12:21 am

    I have been surprised on how many people I don’t know read my Electron Blog (as the website statistics tell me). But I am always aware that because of the people I DO know who read it, there is a great deal I cannot say.

  13. 13.   Dimitri Terryn Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 3:01 am

    I don’t think it is surprising that blogging has become a major influence. It represents something that the internet was lacking for a while. It offers a great deal of flexibility and a sense of community, something a regular website does not offer, while being more constrained (and thus providing better qualility of postings) than internet fora.

    Good work people at CV! Keep it up!

  14. 14.   Clifford Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 9:05 am

    Dimitri….I just glanced at your blog for the first time, following the link on your name….. It is really excellent!

    -cvj

  15. 15.   Cynthia Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 9:08 am

    It is refreshing to think that humanity is reentering a new epoch of enlightenment. It is more refreshing to think that “the secular movement of blogging” is spearheading this nascent age of enlightenment. C.V.- thanks for your significant contributions to this new movement in society.

  16. 16.   Dimitri Terryn Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 1:27 pm

    @Clifford :

    Is it? As I stated in my last post, I’m not really that happy about it. Check out the latest update to see what I want the content to look like in the future.

    PS : I’ve just realised the reason you like it. It’s that picture of you, isn’t it? ;-)

  17. 17.   Clifford Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 3:40 pm

    No. It has nothing to do with the picture of me. It has to do with the fact that you give a viewpoint of a young person taking a course in physics, learning their way around the subject and its culture……and describing their journey while doing that….. It is a really good thing indeed.

    -cvj

  18. 18.   Tales From The Industry, VI | Cosmic Variance Says:
    April 20th, 2006 at 10:50 pm

    [...] The day before yesterday I mentioned at the end of a post that I had some film scripts to read. I was not kidding. I spent a bit of time reading screenplays, written by students in the USC School of Cinema-Television. This is, as you may know, one of the finest schools of its type, and it feeds the Industry (entertainment and related visual arts) with a huge amount of new talent. Just look at the CVs of the various writers, producers, directors, etc, who are nominated each year for Oscars and Emmys and you’ll see how much USC matters in this area. [...]

  19. 19.   Mark Says:
    April 20th, 2006 at 11:49 pm

    Some of us are blessed with such insipid jobs, that all we do is sit around reading and posting on blogs. Why not better ones self if one has the time?

  20. 20.   Curious George Says:
    April 21st, 2006 at 12:19 am

    Ya :)





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